MAMMALIA — WHALE. 



403 



charges his harpoon at him. There is no difficulty in choosing the place 

 where the whale is to be struck, as some have asserted ; for these creatures 

 only come up to the surface in order to spout up the water, or blow, as the 

 fishermen term it, and therefore always keep the soft and vulnerable part 

 of their bodies above water. As soon as the whale is struck, the men set 

 up one of their oars in the middle of the boat, as a signal to those in the 

 ship. On perceiving this, the watchman alarms all the rest, with the cry 

 of fall! fall! upon which all the other boats are immediately sent out to 

 the assistance of the first. 



The whale finding himself wounded, runs off with prodigious violence 

 Sometimes he descends perpendicularly; at others goes off horizontally at a 

 small depth below the surface. The rope which is fastened to the harpoon 

 is about two hundred fathoms long, and properly coiled up, that it may 

 be freely given out as there is a demand for it. At first, the velocity with 

 which this line runs over the side of the boat is so great, that it is wetted 

 to prevent its taking fire ; but in a short time the strength of the whale 

 begins to fail, and the fishermen, instead of letting out more rope, strive as 

 much as possible to pull back what is given out already, though they always 

 find themselves necessitated to yield at last to the efforts of the animal, to 

 prevent his sinking their boat. If he runs out the two hundred fathoms 

 of line contained in one boat, that belonging to another is immediately 

 fastened to the end of the first, and so on; and there have been instances, 

 where all the rope belonging to the six boats has been necessary, though 

 half that quantity is seldom required. The whale cannot stay long below 

 water, but again comes up to blow ; and being now much fatigued and 

 wounded, stays longer above water than usual. This gives another boat 

 lime to come up with him, and he is again struck with a harpoon. [1° 



